Can irregular periods be regular?

[piperr42]

Hi Nurse Nettie!

I wanted to know, can having an irregular period actually be your ‘regular’?

(For some context): I was on the pill for around a year and went off it around 6 months ago. Since then, my periods have been whacked – I went 100 days without bleeding, then 25 then back to around 50, although when I told my GP they said it was just my body adjusting to going off the pill.

Even before I went on the pill, I always had irregular periods (varying from 30-50 days). My Mum told me that she and her mum also had really irregular periods and that that was their ‘normal’. I do use a period tracker on my phone, and every time I have a long time between my periods, I get a notification saying that I may want to see a doctor. Do I trust this? Or is it safe for me to assume that my ‘regular’ is having irregular periods?

Thanks so much!

[Nurse_Nettie]

That’s a great question! When it comes to periods we say a “normal” cycle can vary between 21 to 42 days. Coming off the Pill you’d usually expect your cycle to normalise within about three months. There are factors that contribute to irregular periods like travelling or weight loss or even intense physical exercise. There are also some pretty common medical conditions like PCOS that can cause irregular periods. I’d recommend bringing it up with your GP again and make sure they understand that it’s always been irregular.

[piperr42]

Thanks so much, Nurse Nettie! That’s really helpful, I will definitely speak with my GP about it- as from what I know I don’t have any medical conditions!!

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